Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2018 - 40

Elsa from Frozen (2013)-
Custom printed fabric with
laser cut details. Cosplay by
Denise Chukhina. Photo by
Nathan Clendenin.

but the product can be expensive for the
average cosplayer. A similar product that
Chukhina enjoys using is called WONDERFLEX, an extruded thermoplastic
that is malleable after heating. Fehlner's
favorite new material is Sintra, an extruded PVC sold in flat sheets that is
formed into shapes with heat. She also
recommends using epoxy putty, typically
used by plumbers, for durable detail
work on foam and thermoplastics. The
overall takeaway is, as Hofmann says,
"Heat guns are your best friends! You
can heat form so many materials." The
materials used in cosplay are able to
capture the shapes and textures found in
hand-drawn, animated, and CG characters from film, television, manga, comic
books, and graphic novels.
Cosplay often requires the use of
technology in order to recreate the level
of detail and scale of the character's costume. Cosplayers feel it is an obligation
to honor both the character, the original
designer, and the costume with that accuracy. Trained theatre designers and
technicians, who also cosplay, find that
re-creating an original design is second nature based on their work for the
stage. They share the same challenges
in balancing the original design and inspiration with the realities of production,
including scale and proportion. In order

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THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

WINTER 2018

to achieve a high level of detail, many
cosplayers use technology commonly
found in the production of film and television costumes. Cosplayers incorporate
specialized technology into their work,
such as 3D printers, CNC (Computer
Numerical Control) machines, laser
cutters, and fabric printers, in addition
to the traditional tools and machines
they typically use in costume and props
shops.
"It seems like technology is a major
part of costuming for cosplay, whereas
I'm more used to the traditional nontechnology based tools coming from my
background in theatre. My most utilized
tool in my cosplay is my 3D printer, but
it is making its way into theatre very
quickly," states Chukhina. When building
her Elsa cosplay from Frozen, Chukhina
made great efforts to accurately recreate
the snowflake fabric from the film. She
digitally created the fabric pattern, had it
printed, and then used a laser cutter to
create intricate snowflake details.
Cosplay characters can offer unique
design challenges since the original
source is usually drawn or animated,
and cosplayers are often the first people to make them a reality outside of licensed use settings. Incorporating new
technology can be the solution to those
challenges. Fehlner assures that it is all a

"good deal of trial and error," which is not
a new process to a theatre technician,
although the timeframe for experimentation in cosplay is longer. Using state-ofthe-art technology to create a high level
of detail comes with a cost though. Purchasing and maintaining this machinery
is expensive and the learning curve to
operate it can be steep. Once a cosplayer
has overcome these costuming challenges, they share their experiences with
their community online through tutorials and on message boards in an effort
to offset the long period of trial and error
and potential for costly mistakes. Access
to specialized materials and technology
is one of the major factors that takes cosplay out of the hobby category and creates a strong link to professional quality
costume construction worthy of being
featured in a portfolio.
Despite the new technologies and
materials used in cosplay, Hofmann,
Fehlner, and Chukhina agree that there
is no replacement for a traditional education in patterning and garment construction. The maker who knows theatrical
pattern engineering and construction
techniques is likely at an advantage over
the self-taught cosplay maker. Hofmann
shares, "I definitely use my dressmaking
skills in the pattern drafting, construction, and tailoring process of making my

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2018